


Acting on your Best Behavior

by fairytaleslayer



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, F/F, and i loved this prompt, but this prompt only works for that age, i never thought i'd do a high school au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-09
Updated: 2015-04-15
Packaged: 2018-03-22 01:01:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,315
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3709207
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fairytaleslayer/pseuds/fairytaleslayer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tumblr Prompt: "The skirt is short on purpose" High School AU</p><p>or</p><p>Clarke Griffin is a little shit, Lexa even more so, and they will defend each other fiercely</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Acting on Your Best Behavior

**Author's Note:**

> (Title from Lorde's 'Everybody Wants to Rule the World')

Lexa sighed as she slumped down in the seat of her assigned desk for her first class of the morning. She'd always hated math – why she decided taking calculus was a good idea was beyond her.

Oh, right. Her parents thought it was a great idea. Hence taking an elective math course at eight in the morning for the duration of her senior year of high school when she could have had a free period and slept in every morning instead.

At least Anya had to suffer through it with her. Her friend was even worse at math than Lexa was. Anya usually spent the period sleeping an extra hour until Lexa would nudge her awake to go to chemistry next. True to form, Anya had her head buried in her arms, face down on the desk top, breathing slowly and evenly, already asleep. Lexa grinned and shook her head. The girl had no shame.

A flash of blonde hair caught Lexa's eye, and she turned her head in time to see popular girl, intelligent, artistic, princess of the class, and Lexa's current crush, Clarke Griffin, scoot into class just before the final bell rang, slightly out of breath. She quietly apologized to their teacher and started to make her way to her desk in the back of the class.

“Clarke Griffin,” said teacher, Mr. Cage Wallace, called out imperiously. Lexa hated him with a passion. In her opinion, he was a sexist, bigoted, homophobic pig whose life goal was to make the lives of the students of the school a living hell. And she wasn't far off.

Clarke froze, her back turned to Wallace, before slowly turning around. “Yes, sir?” she said politely, her face pleasant, but Lexa could see a slight frown between her eyes.

“You are late, Griffin,” Wallace told her.

The blonde's eyes narrowed in confusion. “Sir, I was in the room before the bell rang,” she reminded him. “I'm sorry, but my car wouldn't start this morning, otherwise I would have been here sooner.” Lexa could see that Clarke was straining to remain respectful.

“In the future, I expect you and everyone else in this classroom to be seated before the second bell. And I expect your attire to be more appropriate as well,” Wallace reprimanded her.

Clarke's frown deepened. “Sir?” she asked, confused by the abrupt change in topic.

“Your outfit.” Wallace sneered and waved up and down at her. “It is entirely inappropriate for a school setting.”

The classroom had by this point gone dead silent, watching sympathetically as Wallace berated Clarke but all were too intimidated to stand up to him. Lexa shot a cursory glance at Clarke's outfit. She couldn't see anything wrong with it. Clarke was wearing a black pleated skirt, a white v-neck, and black combat boots. Her hair was as it always was, hanging loose down her back. She poked Anya awake, wanting her friend to see Wallace's newest vendetta.

Clarke had been staring at Wallace, shocked by his derision and not sure how to respond. “I fail to see what is inappropriate about what I am wearing, Sir,” she finally managed, still sounding surprised.

“Your skirt is too short. It's against dress code,” Wallace said triumphantly.

Lexa watched, fascinated, as Clarke's face cleared of any confusion and fright and she tilted her head, smirking. That was unexpected. “My skirt is short on purpose. You see, it was made that way. Sir,” she added as an afterthought, her tone adopting a snarky quality, but not enough to warrant reprimand.

Cage grit his teeth. “You be careful, Miss Griffin,” he snarled. “Just because your mother is on the board does not mean that you are allowed to act entitled. Detention, and leave my room. Do not return until you have attained an outfit fit for the public.”

“Are you worried I'll distract the boys, Sir?” Clarke asked, sounding for all the world like she was worried. “What with my revealing attire? I assure you they all have mothers. I am certain they've seen a woman's legs before. My skirt does not expose my underclothes, something I can tell you right now I can see hanging from Murphy's pants at this very moment. He wears them so loose, you see.” The class's eyes turned to John Murphy, who glared until they looked back to Clarke. “Am I not distracted by his clothing? Should he not leave as well?”

“Detention for a week,” Wallace growled. “And one more word from you, Griffin, and I'll see you get suspended. See how that looks on your perfect transcripts and your 4.3 GPA.”

“Revealing the grade point average of one of your students is against the laws guarding the privacy of minors, Sir,” Clarke replied evenly. “A law I'm sure you were educated on before you took this job.”

“Two weeks,” Wallace seethed. “Leave my sight.”

Clarke sighed, giving up, and made her way back to the front of the class as her fellow students watched her in awe, amazed that she had stood up to _the_ Cage Wallace.

Lexa shook her head. Someone had to do something. “Sir?” she called out suddenly, standing from her seat.

Wallace whirled to face her. “You have something to add, Miss Woods?” he asked tightly.

“Lexa, what are you doing!” Anya whispered harshly, trying to get her to sit back down.

Lexa ignored her best friend, instead reaching for the hem of her t-shirt and yanking it up over her head, leaving her in nothing but a sports bra and her jeans. The class gasped and began whispering. “I'm afraid I am inappropriately dressed, and my mother  _isn't_ on the board,” she drawled. “I assume I have detention as well?”

Wallace looked apoplectic. “You most certainly do. You may leave with Miss Griffin,” Wallace demanded with a glare.

Lexa gathered her backpack and shirt quickly, stepping around the rumbling students in their desks to walk over to Clarke, who was staring at her in disbelief and possibly a bit of gratitude. “Come on,” she whispered quietly. “Let's get out of here.”

Clarke nodded dumbly and followed her out. Once they were safely away from Wallace, Lexa tugged her shirt back on, slinging her backpack over her shoulder. “We haven't really been introduced,” she began.

“Lexa Woods,” Clarke interrupted her. “Soccer captain, ace at history and government. We have calculus, chemistry and anatomy together. We've been going to the same school for ten years, and somehow have never spoken. Until today.”

Lexa stared at the blonde. Clarke had been paying as much attention to her as she had been to Clarke. “You forgot troublemaker and too opinionated for her own good,” she finally managed, giving Clarke a small smile.

Clarke grinned back. “I have to admit, I wasn't expecting you to get half naked in front of class in order to defend me today. Not even my friends could do that.”

Lexa scowled. “Wallace doesn't scare me,” she said as they walked out of the building together. “He's a coward, hiding behind loud words of hate. Those kinds of people can only harm you if you let them.” She looked at Clarke, only to see her staring back thoughtfully. “What?”

The blonde shook her head. “That might be the wisest thing I have ever heard come from a teenager's mouth,” she said, sounding impressed.

Lexa shrugged uncomfortably. “I've heard enough shit from other students and even adults. Being different is hard. You shrug it off or you let it destroy you.”

“That's right,” Clarke nodded, realizing. “You came out a while back didn't you? That was really brave of you,” she said kindly.

“Anya had my back,” Lexa replied, face red. “And my parents. I didn't care for anyone else's opinions.”

“I wish I was like that,” Clarke said wistfully. “I wish I didn't care what others thought of me.”

“You were doing a damn good job of it today,” Lexa teased her.

Clarke scoffed. “Please. Over a skirt?” She shook her head. “That's not brave. Foolish maybe – it certainly got me in enough trouble. But coming out? I haven't managed that one.”

Lexa froze. Clarke had had a boyfriend all last year until she found out he was sleeping with another girl in their class without both of their knowledge. The relationship had ended explosively, with both girls going at him during lunch after having found each other out. Clarke and Raven were now good friends, and Finn had transferred schools. But Lexa had had no idea the Clarke was into girls as well. She'd never thought she'd have a chance with the popular girl.

“Sounds like you just did,” she got out, wide eyed. 

Clarke's mouth dropped open, her hand clamping over it immediately. “Oh my god,” she muttered around it. “I did, didn't I? Oh my god, I just told you.”

They were in the parking lot by now and Lexa gestured toward her car, motioning for Clarke to get in. The blonde obeyed, climbing into the Cherokee while Lexa went over to the driver's side. With the two of them safe behind closed doors, Lexa smiled at the other girl. “How did that feel?” she asked gently, understanding the confusion and fear that was undoubtedly running through Clarke's mind.

Clarke smiled brightly at her. “Amazing,” she said enthusiastically. “Oh my god. Why didn't I do that sooner?”

Lexa shrugged. “Maybe you just needed a push,” she offered. “It's not like there's an expiration date on your sexuality, though. It's not going anywhere.”

The other girl nodded. “I've known for a while,” she told Lexa. “I'm not ashamed of being bisexual, it's just –” 

“How others will react,” Lexa supplied quietly.

Clarke nodded again. “I don't care, not really. I said I did, but I don't. I mean, mainly I held off telling anyone because I am  _slightly_ worried that my mother would kick me out and I kind of wanted to graduate high school and be eighteen before I became homeless. If I became homeless,” she corrected herself.

Lexa's stomach clenched at the thought of Clarke losing everything over something as harmless as who she loved. “I was afraid, too,” she admitted. “Of telling my parents. I had a girlfriend.”

“Costia,” Clarke said. Lexa glanced over at her, surprised. Clarke blushed, biting her lip. “I sort of kept track of you,” she said sheepishly.

Lexa grinned. “Who knew I had my own personal stalker?” she teased. Clarke blushed harder and lightly hit her arm. Lexa laughed. “Anyways,” she continued, “it was Costia that convinced me that I would be happier having told my parents, even if they responded badly. The weight of this secret I'd been carrying around would be off my shoulders. So I told my mom and dad, and they ended up being entirely accepting of who I was and my relationship with Costia. And Costia was right. I felt so much lighter after I stopped having secrets.”

“Are you and she still together?” Clarke asked. “I know she moved out of state a while ago.”

“No,” Lexa sighed. “We decided the odds of a high school relationship lasting long distance were slim to none. We talk occasionally, but only as friends now. She has someone else, and I'm happy for her.”

The pair was silent for a while after that, each lost in their own thoughts. Finally, Clarke broke the silence. “What's your opinion on occasionally going AWOL from school?” she asked casually.

Lexa smirked. “I'd say there should be a good reason for it.”

“Given that we already each have two weeks of detention to look forward to due to our 'inappropriate attire', I'm thinking things couldn't get much worse. I don't have a spare set of clothes, and I'm pretty sure you lost your shirt somewhere and are never going to find it again, so we both obviously can't return to class,” Clarke said thoughtfully.

“Continue,” Lexa encouraged, playing along.

“Have coffee with me,” Clarke offered bluntly. “You see, there's this girl I've kind of had a crush on for months, and she might have rescued me today, and I really want to ask her out right now. Maybe you can help me with that?”

“And how do you know this girl likes you back?” Lexa teased, eyes bright.

Clarke shrugged. “I don't know, but she pretty much got naked in front of me today. I'd say that's a good indicator.”

Lexa swallowed, her throat oddly tight. “I'd love to,” she replied seriously.

“There's something else,” Clarke continued, drawing Lexa's attention back to her. Soft lips suddenly pressed against her own, taking Lexa's breath away. She let Clarke control the kiss, leaning into her slightly. Clarke's hand worked its way into Lexa's wild hair. She kept the kiss chaste, pulling back after a few seconds to lean her forehead against Lexa's, both of their eyes closed and Clarke's hand still in Lexa's hair. “I've been wanting to do that for a long time,” Clarke finally whispered.

“Me too,” Lexa murmured back.

A ringing phone interrupted the moment, jerking the two apart. Clarke pulled out her cell, quickly reading the incoming text. “It's Raven,” she explained. “She wants to know if we're okay.”

Lexa tugged on Clarke's shirt to pull her in for another quick kiss. Clarke grinned into it, chuckling slightly. “Tell her you're busy,” Lexa commanded. “I believe I was just asked on a date, and I intend to have one.”

“You always going to be this bossy?” Clarke asked, typing out a reply and sending it off.

Lexa started her Jeep. “Always,” she said. “Unless you decide to take charge. I have no problems with that.”

Clarke leaned over to kiss Lexa's shoulder before giving it a quick nip, making Lexa shudder and eye her mouth hungrily. “I'm going to have you so whipped,” Clarke teased.

Lexa swallowed. “I agree,” she muttered to herself, pulling onto the road.


	2. Turn Your Back on Mother Nature

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> By popular demand, and the request of Lexa and Clarke being little shits to other teachers, I wrote this. Enjoy.

“Do we have to do the whole get to know you thing?” Clarke asked Lexa as she pulled into the parking lot of ARK Cafe, Lexa's favorite place to get coffee. “And I love this place, by the way. But I just feel like we've gone to school together long enough that we don't need to do the introduction small talk deal.”

“Speak for yourself. I'm not the one practically stalking my classmates and learning all the tiny details about them. Maybe I don't know anything about you,” Lexa teased.

“Alright then,” Clarke challenged her. “What do you know?” Lexa hesitated. “No, tell me. I want to know.”

“Well, there's the obvious,” Lexa began. “Straight A student, multiple advanced placement courses, class president.”

“That's not about me, though,” Clarke interrupted. “That's what I do at school. What do you know about _me_?” 

Lexa bit her lip. “You spend your lunches sketching,” she said quietly. “I've never seen one of your drawings, but other people say you're really good. You drink hot chocolate on cold mornings – I know that because one time someone crashed into you in the hall and got it all over your shirt.”

“That was a great day,” Clarke huffed, making Lexa laugh.

“You're kind,” Lexa continued gently, “but ruthless when you need to be. You and Raven absolutely took it to Finn last year, which don't get me wrong, was hot, and he deserved it, but hard to watch nonetheless. I'm not surprised he left after that. And then you and Raven ended up best friends despite everything.”

Clarke blushed. “He did deserve it,” she muttered. 

Lexa reached across the console to take her hand and squeeze it. “You take all these advanced science courses because your mom wants you to follow in her footsteps and become a surgeon, but you want to draw instead,” she finished.

Clarke stared at her. “How do you even know that?” she whispered. “I haven't even told Raven or Octavia about fighting my mom,” she said, listing her other best friend.

“I – overheard you arguing with your mom once. I was changing for soccer practice and you two had it out right outside the bathroom,” Lexa explained hastily, not wanting to sound creepy. “I was too embarrassed to go outside when I was done and interrupt you two. I was stuck in there for ten minutes.”

To her surprise, Clarke laughed instead of getting angry. “It wasn't the first time we'd argued about my future, and I doubt it will be the last,” she admitted. “It's just gotten worse since my dad died.”

“My apologies. I didn't mean to bring up such a heavy topic,” Lexa said. 

“I was always closer to my dad,” Clarke told her. “It's been difficult without him as the mediator between me and mom.”

“I know somewhat how you feel.” Clarke gave her a confused look, making Lexa smile. “You mean something you don't know about me?” she teased. “I'm adopted. My parents died when I was six. Indra and Gustus are my adoptive parents. They fostered me out of the orphanage when I was seven, and the adoption was finalized when I was nine. I don't remember too many details about my biological parents, but I do still miss them sometimes.”

“I'm sorry,” Clarke apologized sincerely. “I had no idea. This was not supposed to be a reveal your deepest darkest secrets kind of date.”

Lexa shook her head, smiling. “It's not a big deal. It doesn't hurt anymore. And you didn't want to talk about the small stuff,” she reminded her lightly.

Clarke chuckled. “True.” She glanced out at the coffee shop, then over at Lexa. “Do you really want to get something, or would you maybe like to just go somewhere and hang out?”

“I know just the place.”

 

* * *

 

“Clarke Griffin.” The voice of the secretary interrupted Nyko's lecture on organic bonds in chemistry the next morning. The entire class started muttering, surprised the popular girl was in trouble two days in a row. “You're wanted in the principal's office.” Clarke rolled her eyes slightly from where she was seated beside Lexa, making the other girl stare at the lab table to hide a grin. Clarke got up and took her backpack, walking to the front of the class. 

Lexa also stood, making the secretary look at her. “Why are you standing?” she asked, confused.

Lexa sighed and rolled her eyes, imitating Clarke. “I'm Lexa Woods. I assume I'm wanted as well,” she drawled, her tone making it clear to the secretary that she'd thought it'd been obvious.

The secretary looked down at her paper, flustered. “Lexa Woods? Yes, Mr. Jaha wants to see you too.”

Lexa nodded. She'd already known that. The secretary, task complete, turned and left without waiting for the girls. Lexa followed Clarke out, grabbing her hand once the door had closed behind them and they were safe from prying eyes. Clarke squeezed it gratefully. 

“What do you think?” Lexa asked.

“Well, Jaha is my mom's friend. I doubt we'll get in too much trouble,” Clarke replied. “But then again, we did play hooky all day to go talk and nap in the park.”

Lexa grinned. “Best first date I've ever had,” she said playfully, giving Clarke a kiss on the cheek.

Clarke leaned her head on Lexa's shoulder. “Me too.”

 

* * *

 

“What were you two girls thinking yesterday?” Thelonius Jaha demanded once the girls were seated in front of his desk.

“Well, you see, Sir,” Clarke explained, sounding entirely innocent when Lexa knew she was anything but. “Mr. Wallace told us to leave. We simply assumed that meant for the rest of the day. We couldn't change – neither of us had spare clothes.”

Jaha sighed, shaking his head in exasperation. “You know perfectly well, Miss Griffin, that you and Miss Woods here were only dismissed from one class. You should have been present for the remainder of the day.”

“So you admit that Wallace was totally out of line jumping down Clarke's throat like that and there was nothing actually wrong with what she was wearing?” Lexa asked shrewdly.

Jaha eyes moved to glare at her, caught. “That is not what I said, and you know it, Miss Woods. The two of you should have returned to school after the bell rang to end first period.”

“Sir,” Lexa jumped in again, “we would have, except Clarke was upset by Wallace's –”

“He is still _Mr._ Wallace, to you, Miss Woods,” Jaha interrupted.

Lexa paused. “Clarke was still upset by _Wallace's_ words,” she continued as though she hadn't heard him. “I thought it best she not return until she was feeling better. It just happened to take the rest of the day.”

Clarke rolled her eyes, reaching down to squeeze Lexa's thigh hard in recrimination. She hadn't been that upset by Cage's public ridicule. Lexa winced slightly.

Jaha rubbed his temples, head aching from the shenanigans of the two teenagers in front of him. “You are lucky that the both of you had such pristine records before yesterday,” he told them. “Otherwise, you would be facing lengthy suspensions. As it is, the two of you have detention for a week.”

“Sir, Wallace already gave us detention for two weeks,” Clarke said politely. “Should we assume yours takes precedence or that it is added on to those?”

Lexa hid a grin as Jaha groaned in frustration. “For your attitude, you may add it on,” he replied tightly. “Do not miss school again without a note. And Clarke, I _will_ be speaking with your mother about this.”

Clarke glared at him. “I would expect nothing less from my mother's best friend,” she snarked. “Sir.” She stood up to leave the room.

Lexa stood as well, but remained facing Jaha. “You have something else to add, Miss Woods?” Jaha asked impatiently. Clarke turned around to see what Lexa was waiting for.

“Yes I do. I would like to be removed from Wallace's class.”

“The school year is halfway gone. It is too late for you to drop the course,” Jaha informed her.

“Then I will take it independent study, if need be. Or I will fail it. I have no intention of returning to Wallace's toxic environment tomorrow,” Lexa said firmly. “And I doubt that after our _attitudes_ ,” she emphasized, “Wallace would like us back in his class anyways.”

“I would like to drop it too,” Clarke added.

Jaha sighed, glaring up at them from his desk. “It is too late for you to drop the course,” he said again. The two girls opened their mouths to protest, but Jaha spoke over them. “ _However_ , I will speak to Mr. Kane about you two doing the work in the mornings in his Trigonometry class. Since you will obviously cause more trouble if forced to return to Mr. Wallace's classroom, I see no other alternative. If Kane agrees, you will report to him tomorrow at eight. I expect you to keep up with the rest of the class' work, and you will take exams under Kane's supervision. Until yesterday, I thought you two were responsible and respectful students. Prove me right.”

Lexa grinned triumphantly. “Of course, sir,” she said, before grabbing Clarke's hand and towing her out of the principal's office before he could change his mind.

As soon as they were out of earshot, Clarke burst into laughter, leaning against Lexa. “I can't believe you got away with that?” she gasped out between laughs.

Lexa put an arm around Clarke's shoulders to support her, tugging her along the hall. “I've figured out that demanding what I want can usually get me it,” she explained. “As long as I act intimidating enough.”

“Those teachers may think you're intimidating, but I can see right through you,” Clarke denied, sober enough to have stopped laughing but still grinning a couple inches up at Lexa. “You act all tough, but you're just big ball of feelings, aren't you?”

Lexa scoffed. “I am no such thing,” she refuted. “Feelings are for the weak.”

“Says the person who comforted me when I was 'too upset' to go back to Wallace's class after being publicly humiliated,” Clarke replied sarcastically. “The same person that thought, and I quote from yesterday: 'That I belonged in the skies because I shine as bright as stars',” she said, complete with batting eyelashes.

“If you ever tell anyone, I will deny it to my dying breath,” Lexa muttered, blushing.

“Don't, I thought it was adorable.”

“I am _not_ adorable,” Lexa denied murderously.

“As a puppy,” Clarke sang, dancing along beside Lexa, swinging their hands between them.

Lexa took the next opportunity to shove Clarke through a door, ending up in an abandoned classroom and locking the door behind them. “I was waiting for you to do that,” Clarke said breathlessly. “Figured if I embarrassed you enough, you'd have to.”

“There is no way you knew I'd do that,” Lexa said.

“Uh-huh,” Clarke nodded. “Like I said – whipped. Already. One day and I can predict you're every move. That really does _not_ bode well for our future relationship if I can already tell what you're going to do before you do it. Honestly, it's a shame, I thought this relationship really could have –” 

Lexa interrupted Clarke's spiel by pushing her against the locked door and kissing her firmly. Clarke moaned into the kiss, running her hands up Lexa's arms and leaving one on her neck and one in her hair. Lexa noted that Clarke seemed to have a thing for her curls, reminding herself to wear it down more often. Turning her attention back to their kiss, Lexa lapped at Clarke's lips, asking for permission that Clarke gave, opening up her mouth. 

Lexa gently entered, running her tongue along the edges of Clarke's lips and then her tongue. She groaned when Clarke responded, pushing Lexa's tongue back into her mouth so she could explore as well. 

When Lexa was sufficiently distracted by Clarke's kiss, Clarke took the opportunity and rapidly changed their positions, slamming Lexa against the door and deepening the kiss once again. Lexa gasped, leaning into the renewed kiss. Eventually, though, she pulled away to relieve her burning lungs. 

Clarke immediately bent her head slightly to kiss up and down Lexa's neck, making the brunette moan. “Do you think we should go back to chem?” she panted, still trying to catch her breath.

“Nyko has no idea how long our reprimanding from Jaha took,” Clarke murmured, kissing and nipping Lexa's collarbone between words. Lexa fidgeted. “No harm missing the last,” she checked, “ten minutes and just going to the next one. We go to separate classes after chem. I'd like to be with you right now.”

Lexa put her hand under Clarke's chin, bringing her back up for a slow kiss. “What I hoped you'd say,” Lexa whispered.

Clarke smiled. “Good,” she said simply. “Now kiss me again.” Lexa obeyed eagerly, still pressed against the door and trapped between Clarke's arms. Clarke giggled into the kiss, making Lexa pull back slightly to look at her questioningly. “I told you,” Clarke said evilly. “Whipped.”


	3. It's My Own Design

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clarke and Lexa discuss sleepovers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm thinking about this AU too much and now I have ideas for at least a couple more chapters. This one's a little shorter, but I liked the ending point.

\- Two Months Later -

“You need to officially meet Raven and Octavia,” Clarke said while she and Lexa were finishing up the admittedly disgusting cafeteria lunch of some kind of mystery meat and potatoes that had been served that day.

Lexa eyed her, brows furrowed. “You _do_ know Octavia and I have been playing on the same soccer team that I am now the captain of for four years, right?” she asked.

Clarke gave her an unimpressed look. “Duh.”

“Just checking,” Lexa said play-defensively, nudging Clarke with her shoulder. Their relationship was still secret, but since their two outbursts against teachers and subsequent three straight weeks of detention together, the pair had become something of a legend and their partnership – and the fact that they were nearly inseparable – went unquestioned. 

“The thing is, you don't talk to anyone outside of practice and class besides Anya. Expand your social horizons, Lex,” Clarke urged her.

Lexa shrugged. “I did. I started talking to you, didn't I?” she teased.

Clarke gave her yet another look, one that Lexa wasn't sure if she should interpret as good or bad for her wellbeing. “We talked for one afternoon and then you stuck your tongue in my mouth and later, your hand down my pants,” she murmured bluntly, careful no one else could hear. “Not what I would call you being a great conversationalist.”

Lexa couldn't tell if Clarke was pleased about that fact or trying to prove a point, but she grinned anyways. “That was a good day,” she said fondly. “Ow!” she exclaimed when Clarke punched her shoulder. Hard.

“At least try to hang out with us. Just once,” Clarke pleaded. 

“Fine,” Lexa agreed reluctantly. She wasn't the most outgoing person and Anya and Clarke were more than enough friends for her. Well, Clarke theoretically was a friend. She _was,_ she was just also way more than that. And Lexa liked her teammates and enjoyed playing with them on the field, but off of it, she was perfectly happy on her own. “I'll 'hang out' with you and Raven and Octavia.” Clarke yipped with glee, but Lexa rushed to continue. “But _only_ if you let me see some of your drawings.”

Clarke's face immediately fell into apprehension. “They're not very good,” she said nervously. “I wouldn't want you to think you have to compliment them just because you're my girlfriend.”

“Clarke,” Lexa said, waiting for the blonde to look back up at her. “We've been dating for two months. I want to see what you're passionate about,” she coaxed in a more serious tone than she usually used around her girlfriend. “I promise to be honest. Tell you exactly what I think about each one.”

“Alright,” Clarke agreed after a long moment to think it over. “But not here. Come over tonight. We'll have a 'friend' date. You can meet my mom, and we'll eat crap and watch shit movies and do the whole sleepover thing. And I'll show you my sketches.”

“First your friends and now your mom?” Lexa complained. “Jaha isn't going to be over for a weekly dinner is he?”

Clarke rolled her eyes. “We don't have  _weekly_ dinners with the principal just because my mom is on the school board and his best friend.  _Monthly_ though...” Clarke grinned when Lexa groaned and shoved her nearly off the bench, making Clarke yelp and grab at Lexa's arm to keep from falling. “Seriously though,” she continued when she'd regained her balance. “Stay over tonight.”

“Will your mom be okay with that?” Lexa asked cautiously. She didn't care what Abby thought, but she didn't want to out Clarke by accident, and she didn't know if she could keep her hands to herself if she ended up alone with her girlfriend in her girlfriend's bedroom.

“She doesn't know I'm with you, so yeah. She'll be thrilled I'm finally friends with someone 'responsible'. If only she knew,” Clarke teased.

“I'm responsible when I'm with anyone but you,” Lexa shot back.

“Personally,” Clarke leaned in close, lips against her ear and making Lexa shiver, “I like your bad decisions,” she whispered before quickly moving away with an innocent face, leaving Lexa to try and pull her mind out of the gutter.

“I'll come after practice,” she said in a strangled tone.

“I'm sure you will,” Clarke replied smugly.

Lexa groaned and dropped her head to the table, making Clarke laugh as the brunette tried to catch her breath.


	4. Holding Hands While the Walls Come Tumbling Down

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clarke gets embarrassed over art, may have come out to her mom, there are actually some serious conversations to be had, and Lexa will defend her girlfriend to her dying breath.

Lexa woke slowly the next morning, whining when sun hit her eyes and burying her head in the pillow beneath her. The cushion moved, and Lexa became aware of a hand stroking through her curls, occasionally scratching lightly at her scalp. She hummed contently, burrowing into the pillow that was Clarke's lap.

Clarke giggled. “Morning, beautiful,” she whispered, pressing a kiss to Lexa's temple.

“Mmm. Weekend mornings start at noon,” Lexa informed her petulantly. Clarke had kept her promise from yesterday afternoon, and now Lexa was pleasantly sore and didn't want to move.

“Come on, you baby.” Clarke kissed her and sat up. “If you want to see my drawings, you have to wake up.”

Lexa shoved herself into a sitting position. “I'm awake,” she declared, blinking her eyes open. She looked around for Clarke's sketchbook, only to find it resting on the mattress next to Clarke's lap.

Clarke lifted the pad and held it to her chest almost defensively. “Remember, you swore honesty,” she warned Lexa. “And I'll know if you're lying. You're a shit liar.”

“I am an excellent liar,” Lexa protested. “Professional, even. I could win competitions.”

“Probably not something you should brag about,” Clarke pointed out.

Lexa rolled her eyes, a bad habit she'd picked up from Clarke, and reached impatiently for the sketchbook. “Whatever. Now please, can I see them?” she wheedled. “You've been doodling for months during my soccer practices, and I want to see the results.”

After gripping it tight for a moment longer, Clarke reluctantly gave up her book to Lexa's reaching hands. Lexa eagerly flipped to the front page. “It's pretty much all assignments for class,” Clarke explained, looking over Lexa's shoulder. “And I love drawing class, but sometimes inspiration is entirely lacking and I can't get anything remotely adequate down and I'm a shit painter and how the hell am I supposed to find drawing a bowl of fruit interesting?” she rambled nervously. “And why aren't you saying anything?” Clarke demanded. “You're supposed to be giving honest opinions right now and your silence is not encouraging in the –”

“Shh,” Lexa hushed her, putting one hand up as the other flicked slowly through the pages of artwork. “I'm looking.”

Clarke huffed and went silent, waiting impatiently for Lexa to be done looking so she could hide her drawings once more. Lexa was quiet for more than a few minutes, gazing intently at Clarke's work, and Clarke was about to snatch her sketch pad back when Lexa turned her head to stare at Clarke, her eyes shining. “Clarke, these are _amazing_ ,” she whispered in awe. “I've never seen art like this before.”

“Really?” Clarke asked uncertainly. 

Lexa nodded fervently. “I have never been more serious about something in my life,” she told her girlfriend. “Here, look. Bear with me, I'm not an expert. But look at this,” she said, pointing at the water of a landscape Clarke had painted a few months ago. “How did you even get this color?” Lexa asked. “You have blues and greens, but then it looks like parts of the shallower areas near the shore have red and orange mixed in, and how do you make that color without it coming out brown?”

Clarke ducked her head, grinning shyly. “By it coming out brown three times and wasting two tubes of paint before I figured it out,” she admitted, making Lexa laugh lowly. 

“And then this one –” Lexa continued through the book, going over each painting and pencil or charcoal sketch in as much detail as she could, asking Clarke why she made certain decisions on color or shading, and showing her the parts she liked. 

No one had ever shown as much interest in Clarke's work as Lexa, and Clarke was surprised by how much she loved it. Listening to Lexa talk about what Clarke was passionate about made her want so much more time than they'd had. Clarke wanted Lexa all of the time, not just the moments they stole in private and what they could get away with in public view. She was sick of secrets.

Distracted by her thoughts, Clarke didn't notice Lexa turning to the latter half of the book until it was too late. “No wait –” she tried to stop her, but Lexa had already frozen on the first plain penciled sketch. She stared at the drawing of a hand, palm out, every line and crease lovingly detailed, the veins in the wrist mapped out precisely. Lexa turned to the next page, and depicted was the muscled contour of a leg in motion. Next was a well defined abdomen and the beginnings of a torso, but it was cut off before anything could be revealed. Last was a picture of Lexa sleeping peacefully, curls wildly surrounding her as she held onto something not drawn in. 

Lexa stared at the final drawing. Every part of it was perfectly rendered. “You've been drawing me?” she whispered, eventually looking back at Clarke questioningly. 

Clarke bit her lip. “Yeah,” she answered hesitantly. 

“Is this from this morning?”

“I woke up early,” Clarke shrugged, trying to pass it off as nonchalant, but Lexa could see the remnants of strain in her shoulders. “I told you, my muse in class is shit. You're a bit more inspiring.”

“A bit?” Lexa scoffed, letting Clarke off the hook. “If I'm only a bit more inspiring than a bowl of fruit, I'm sure we could find you a replacement for me. Someone tall, dark, gorgeous. Oh, wait, that's me.”

Clarke shoved her as Lexa laughed, stealing her sketch pad back. “You are literally an inch taller than me,” she muttered, carefully setting the book on her bedside table. 

Lexa whirled on her suddenly, carefully pushing Clarke onto her back on the mattress. “So you admit the gorgeous part then?” she teased.

“Alexandra, you are fucking radiant,” Clarke answered, brows raised.

The brunette's eyes softened and she leaned down to give Clarke a quick kiss. When Clarke moved to deepen it, she pulled back. “Are you sure this is alright?” Lexa asked, cautious of the boundaries. “What about your mom?” Abby had been at the hospital until late the previous evening, leaving their activities safely uninterrupted, but now she was sleeping just down the hall. Lexa didn't want Clarke to get caught. “You don't turn eighteen for another month.”

Clarke thrust her hips to knock Lexa onto her back and rolled on top of her, effectively switching their positions. “I don't care anymore,” she whispered. “I'm sick of lying to my mom about needing extra time in the art room so I can watch you practice instead. I'm tired of not being able to hold your hand while I walk to class. I hate not kissing you when you get out of your car in the morning because someone might see. I want people to know that I'm dating you, and anyone who doesn't like it can take it up with me.”

“Maybe you should leave the beating up to me,” Lexa suggested. “You know, me being the sporty one and you being the artsy one and all.”

Clarke lowered her head to hold it above Lexa's, just out of reach for a kiss. “Are you saying I hit like a girl?” she asked, her warning obvious.

“Of course you hit like a girl. Girls hit fucking hard.”

“Nice recovery,” Clarke approved.

Lexa grinned. “I thought so. Now, do I get a kiss today or not?”

“Uh-uh,” Clarke tapped her on the nose. “I'll get around to it. Patience is a virtue, Lex.”

“One that I am sorely lacking right now,” Lexa bit back, trying to reach up to bring Clarke closer. Clarke grabbed her wrists and pushed them above her head, pinning Lexa lightly to the mattress. “Clarke Griffin, if you don't fucking kiss me –” 

Clarke interrupted Lexa's threat, swallowing the rest of her words as she brought their lips together. Lexa moaned in approval, leaning up slightly and moving her hand into Clarke's blonde hair when Clarke let her go. The teenagers got lost in the kiss, hands wandering over the others' body, and they didn't even hear the knock at the door.

“Clarke? Do you and Lexa want –” Abby froze as she entered the bedroom. “What the hell is going on in here?”

Clarke and Lexa tore apart, Lexa allowing Clarke to roll off of her but making no move to stand. 

“Clarke, what are you doing?” Abby demanded.

“What's it look like Mom? Kissing my girlfriend.” 

The statement was simple – probably  _too_ simple, in Lexa's opinion, but it got the point across very well. Abby just stared at Clarke for a moment, shocked. “Kissing your girlfriend,” she repeated disbelievingly. “You're kissing – when did you decide you were interested in that?”

“I didn't _decide_ anything, Mom,” Clarke snapped. “I don't just decide who I do or don't find attractive. I liked Finn. I wanted to kiss Finn. Finn turned out to be a lying asshole so I dumped Finn. I like Lexa. I kiss Lexa, and so far she hasn't turned out to be a lying asshole so I'm going to keep kissing Lexa. Was any part of that unclear?”

“Appreciate the great pitch for my character,” Lexa muttered under her breath. The two Griffins ignored her.

“You watch your attitude, Clarke. Is this what spending time with this girl does to you? Three weeks of detention, kicked out of class, skipping school, talking back to the principal and now me?” 

“I was kicked out of class for a bullshit reason by a sexist teacher. It was _not_ because of Lexa and you know it, Mom.” 

Lexa glanced between the mother and daughter, wondering if she should intervene. Clarke looked insulted and angry, and Abby looked like she was in shock and angry. Abby decided for Lexa though when she turned to her. “Maybe it's time you went home, Lexa,” she said tightly.

It wasn't a request, but Lexa shook her head. “I'm not leaving.”

Abby's jaw clenched. “This is my house, Miss Woods, and if I tell you to leave, you will leave. You are clearly a bad influence on my daughter.”

Lexa shook her head getting up to stand beside Clarke. “I'm not moving a centimeter until I know Clarke's going to be alright,” she said firmly, taking Clarke's hand. Clarke squeezed it reassuringly. “You will support your kid, because that is what parents  _do_ ,” she warned.

“Do not tell me how to run my house, young lady,” Abby's voice rose. “Now you will leave, and you will go home, and Clarke and I will finish this conversation without you.”

“Lexa, go,” Clarke's voice surprised Lexa.

Lexa stared at her girlfriend. “I'm not leaving you alone with her. I don't trust her,” she denied, shooting a glare at Abby.

“Lexa, it's okay. Go. My mom and I need to have a talk.” She leaned closer. “I don't want you stuck in the middle of it,” she whispered in Lexa's ear. “I'll go to your place when we're done, no matter what. Good, bad, middling.”

The brunette reluctantly nodded, still eyeing Abby distrustfully. “First thing?” she murmured.

“First thing,” Clarke promised.

Lexa sighed. “Be safe,” she whispered, giving Clarke a hard, quick kiss whilst ignoring Abby. She grabbed her backpack and Clarke's sketchbook. “I'm gonna hang onto this for the morning,” she said. “Just in case.” Clarke nodded gratefully. Lexa pressed one last kiss to Clarke's cheek before heading to the door. Abby stepped out of her way, but Lexa paused in front of her. “Hurt her in any way, and you'll answer to me,” she warned her quietly enough that Clarke couldn't hear.

“That's what I say to you, you insolent child,” Abby said through gritted teeth.

“I'm an adult, and I beat you to it. You have a chance. Do something with it.” With that, Lexa stalked out of the house, marching to her car and slamming the door shut behind her. She breathed hard in the driver's seat for a moment before letting a loud scream into her wheel. How had a perfect morning turned into that fiasco?

 

* * *

 

Lexa paced back and forth across the front hallway of her house, muttering angrily to herself. She shouldn't have left Clarke. She should have stayed, and possibly decked Abby if she got out of line with her daughter. Thirty minutes passed, then an hour. Lexa was frantic and reaching for her car keys when a small knock sounded at the door. Lexa crossed the space in a leaping bound and flung it open, revealing a red-eyed Clarke with a backpack slung over her shoulder.

“Can I stay here a couple days?” she choked out. Lexa nodded and enveloped her girlfriend in a tight hug, whispering reassurances into her hair that she hoped were true. She led Clarke to her bedroom, locking the door behind them and settling Clarke on the bed.

“Did she kick you out?” Lexa asked worriedly.

Clarke shook her head quickly, much to Lexa's relief. “I don't think so,” she said, her voice rough. “She thinks you're a bad influence, and that you're ruining my chances at a good college and medical school with your 'wild ways'.” 

“So it's me,” Lexa realized. 

Clarke nodded reluctantly. “She told me that she wished I felt like I could come talk to her about what I was feeling, and that everything would have been fine. But she doesn't like you at all,” she explained. “I think Mom thinks you're going to turn me into some kind of sex-crazed demon.”

Lexa pursed her lips in thought. “Not that I'm agreeing with her, but the description is not far off.” Her effort paid off when Clarke chuckled a bit and hit her lightly in retaliation. 

“Knock it off. This is serious,” Clarke informed her. 

“No, no, it is. You're right. She does know that you weren't exactly innocent before you met me, right?” Lexa asked.

Clarke nodded. “I made it clear that I'd slept with Finn more than once last year before we broke up, and that at least this way, I couldn't end up pregnant.” Lexa laughed at Clarke's blunt statement. “She still didn't seem thrilled.”

Lexa thought about it. “Well, maybe we can do slow around her,” she suggested. “Do our own thing at school and here, but maybe around your mom, we can do normal stuff. I can take you out to dinner, we can study on the couch, everything visible around her. Would that help?”

“Maybe,” Clarke said doubtfully. “Either way, I'm sick of talking about it. Can we just ignore it for the rest of the weekend and pretend that I'm at your house for fun and that things won't have to go back to normal on Monday?”

“We can do that.”

“And remember you promised to eat with Raven and Octavia and me then.”

Lexa groaned. “I can't believe that after this morning you still remember that,” she complained.

“My brain is large and has room for many things,” Clarke said solemnly. Then she grinned. “Stop being a two year old about it. They don't bite.”

“You haven't played soccer with Octavia. She's a monster. And Raven blows things up for fun in chem class. Don't tell me they're not dangerous.”

“Okay, technically, that's true,” Clarke allowed. “But in their defense, Octavia only hits other players when they hit her first. She told me so. And Raven knows exactly how big of an explosion she's making before she puts the chemicals together. So really, they're both perfectly safe.”

“I'm going to die,” Lexa whined, dropping her head back into Clarke's lap. “Do I ever have to leave this bed?”

“That depends. Did you have plans this weekend?” Clarke asked casually.

Lexa grinned, immediately catching on. “Not a one,” she replied, sitting up to kiss her girlfriend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you want, I can be found flailing over various fandoms at the same username on Tumblr.


	5. Of Freedom and of Pleasure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meeting friends leads to pranks which leads to one person getting punched in the face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There will probably be just one more chapter after this, so enjoy!

“Hey Cap,” Octavia greeted Lexa as she sat down next to Clarke for lunch on Monday. “Wasn't even sure you were real off the field. Then Clarke starts ditching us to hang out with you constantly, so Raven and I were forced to conclude that you aren't part of our imaginations.”

“Nice to hear that I'm real, O,” Lexa replied dryly. “Lexa,” she introduced herself to Raven.

“Oh, we've heard all about you from Clarke,” Raven waved her off. “Honestly, she never shuts up about you.”

Lexa glanced at Clarke, who was trying to hide a blush. “That is not – I don't – it's not all the time,” she muttered. Lexa grinned in delight.

“It kind of is, Clarke babe,” Raven assured her. “But that's boring talk. What I want to know, Lexa Woods,” she began seriously. Lexa braced herself. “How does it feel to hold the record at this school for most detentions without a suspension?”

Lexa relaxed and laughed in relief. “I thought that honor was yours, Raven,” she said.

“Oh it was, until it was stolen from me,” Raven lamented, “by two upstart children who managed to swing three straight weeks of it. There was cheating involved somewhere. You and Clarke now have fifteen apiece, while I have a mere thirteen. Octavia here,” she nodded to her right, “is the baby with just eight.”

“Not my fault,” the slighted troublemaker muttered. “Bellamy gets this disappointed look on his face whenever I come home after getting one and I hate him looking at me like I killed his dog,” Octavia continued, naming the elder brother that had raised her after their mother died.

“Well, you were second in line until these two overachievers decided to put their minds to work,” Raven replied, consoling Octavia. “You guys did it the easy way. You want to hear the hard way?”

Clarke groaned, having heard it a thousand times. “There isn't a hard way to get in trouble, Raven,” she berated.

“Oh, yes there is, Clarke,” Raven corrected her. “It's an art. The trick isn't to not get caught – it's to leave so little evidence they can't prove it was you. Ergo, no suspension. Think of detentions as a kind of warning. You just have to be smart enough to beat the system.”

Clarke rolled her eyes. “Or you could beat the system by not getting in trouble at all. Do not get any ideas,” she warned Lexa, who was listening to Raven with a little too much interest.

Lexa decided to play with Clarke a little. “It's a good point, though, Clarke,” she told her girlfriend, grinning.

“A child after my own mind!” Raven declared dramatically. “Listen well, my young padawan.” Raven got up and moved around the table to thrust herself between Lexa and Clarke. Put out, Clarke went to sit by Octavia. “Can I trust you?” Raven asked Lexa.

“Um, yeah?” Lexa replied uncertainly.

Raven rubbed her palms together in glee. “Excellent. Then let the planning begin.”

* * *

“This is the dumbest thing you've done since I've known you, and that includes taking off your shirt in the middle of class,” Clarke berated Lexa the next afternoon as they drove home from school.

“All I'm doing is opening a window at the right time,” Lexa reassured her. “Otherwise, it's up to Raven's wiring and Octavia's truly awful drawing skills. Come on, you know you want them to get away with this,” she coaxed her girlfriend. “Get back at Wallace just a bit for humiliating you?”

“First off, I _should_ say something about revenge not being satisfying and how we're too mature for it or some bullshit like that. But whatever. I'm not that big of a person. Number two – fine, I was embarrassed at first by Wallace calling me out in front of class for no good reason but guess what?” Clarke asked rhetorically. “I had this beautiful, cocky, smart ass girl stand up for me, and now she's my girlfriend. So Wallace's humiliation of me really didn't work out for him.”

“You're damn right,” Lexa growled.

“But listen to me,” Clarke pleaded. “You _know_ Wallace is going to be gunning for you as soon as this goes down. He hasn't gotten over you turning the tables on him that day and he's just looking for a way to screw you over.”

“Hence why I'm just opening the window and then I'll follow you right out that door. I'll be with you the whole time, babe,” Lexa promised. “No way it can be pinned on me if shit goes down.”

Clarke shook her head. “None of you three needs encouragement … but I kind of want to see the look on his face after,” she admitted. 

Lexa gave her a wild grin. “It's going to be good.”

 

* * *

 

Lexa fidgeted the next afternoon in her literature class, which happened to be held in the same room as Cage Wallace's calculus class. Octavia was in front of her, Clarke to her left. Lexa herself was seated directly next to the window, which would provide Octavia's escape route after her artwork was complete. Raven was not in their class and had a free period. Lexa hoped she was already in place.

“Stop shaking,” Octavia hissed. “You're rocking my desk and making _me_ nervous.”

“Sorry,” Lexa muttered, stilling her legs.

Five minutes later, and right on schedule, the fire alarm went off. Their teacher ended her lecture, surprised. “Alright guys, this is not a pre-planned drill, so calmly go outside onto the field. Leave your things.”

“Showtime,” Octavia whispered.

In the commotion of students getting to their feet and quickly abandoning the classroom, Lexa shoved the window behind her open and popped out the screen. “It's all you,” she whispered to Octavia, who was making a show of getting up. 

Octavia grinned. “See ya later.”

Lexa hurried after Clarke, who was waiting for her just outside the classroom. “You good?” the blonde asked.

“Under control,” Lexa assured her.

“Octavia?”

“Doing her thing.”

The pair followed the rest of their class out onto the soccer field, waiting for the alarm to stop ringing. The teachers were all convening by the entrance, trying to figure out what was going on while the students talked amongst themselves, just glad to be out of class. Lexa and Clarke spotted Raven with the other students not in a specific class for the period, and she gave them a discreet thumbs up.

“Look, there's O,” Clarke said, pointing at the bleachers a little ways away, where Octavia was hiding.

Lexa sighed. “I'll go get her. Two will look less suspicious than one sneaking in.”

“I'll keep an eye on Raven,” Clarke replied.

Lexa checked to make sure none of the teachers were looking their way, and sprinted over to her teammate. “Come on, let's go,” she urged.

Octavia grinned. “Thanks for coming to get me, Cap.” She clambered over the benches to Lexa's side. 

“Wouldn't be much of a captain if I didn't take care of my players, now would I?” Lexa asked. “Did you do it?”

The shorter girl laughed. “It's a fucking masterpiece,” she claimed gleefully. “I even managed to make it look realistic, and let me tell you, a penis is harder to draw than you'd think. Then I drew a little cage over it, 'cause you know, Cage Wallace. What the hell kind of name is Cage, anyway? And then I wrote 'Stuck in you' across the top, which come to think of it, he might be too dense to figure out, but whatever. It's funny to me. And you're not even listening to me right now,” Octavia sighed, slightly annoyed.

Lexa was staring at Clarke, who was where she'd left her, but now a boy Lexa vaguely recognized was standing next to her. They appeared to be speaking, but Lexa couldn't make out what they were saying.

“Hello, earth to Lexa,” Octavia called.

“Come on,” Lexa ordered, speeding up. Confused, Octavia followed right behind her captain.

As they got into earshot, Lexa could hear Clarke saying, “Quint, I said no. I don't want to go on a date with you this weekend.”

“Come on Griffin,” Quint Long – Lexa remembered now – wheedled with a cocky grin. “Give me one good reason why you shouldn't go out with me.”

“Um, because I am zero percent interested in dating you,” Clarke said frankly.

“Who said anything about dating?” Quint asked. “It could just be, you know, a casual thing,” he hinted.

“ _Disgusting_ , Quint,” Clarke spat. “What makes you think I would sleep with you?” 

Lexa could feel rage boiling up in her at this boy Quint's audacity. She was close now – neither Clarke nor Quint had seen her coming.

Clarke tried to move away, but Quint grabbed her arm, pulling her back to him. “It was so easy for you to jump into Finn's pants,” he snarled. “Why not mine?” 

Clarke jerked her arm from his grasp, fury written all over her face. Quint tried to grab her again, but Lexa had reached them. “Don't touch her!” she yelled. The next thing she knew, Quint was on the ground, holding his face, Lexa's hand hurt like a bitch, and Clarke and the rest of the student body was staring at her. Ignoring them, Lexa crouched beside Quint, cradling her hand with her other one. “Go near her again, and you will regret it. You do  _not_ want to see me angry,” she threatened quietly.

Quint, holding his nose and tears leaking from his eyes, nodded frantically. Lexa glared at him a moment longer to make sure her point had gotten across, before turning to find Clarke. Octavia was holding onto her, Raven had come over and was standing in front of her while Clarke looked like she wanted to land her own punch.

Raven got out of the way when Lexa approached. “Octavia let go of me,” Clarke demanded. “I won't kill him, I promise.” Octavia obeyed, and Clarke went straight to Lexa. “You're hurt,” the blonde murmured, reaching for her hand.

“Are you alright?” Lexa asked quietly.

Clarke nodded. “If you think something like that can get to me, you don't know me as well as I thought,” she tried to tease, but it came out strained.

Lexa cupped Clarke's cheek. “Hey,” she whispered. “I'm here. It's okay. He won't go near you again.”

“I had it handled,” Clarke insisted.

“I know,” Lexa smiled. “I just sped up the process.”

Clarke shot a glance at the other students before seeming to decide something. Quickly, she stood on her tiptoes to kiss Lexa, letting it linger a few seconds before pulling away.

“Yes!” a yell came from behind them. Both of the girls turned around to see a scowling Octavia and a cheering Raven. “Totally called it,” Raven crowed. “You owe me twenty bucks,” she informed Octavia.

“God damn it,” Octavia muttered.

“You guys bet on whether we were dating or not?” Clarke asked incredulously.

“ _Please_ , like anyone here hasn't noticed Captain Heart Eyes over there,” Raven gestured at Lexa with a roll of her eyes. Lexa was starting to see where Clarke had gotten it from. “Naive O here just thought it hadn't happened yet. I, the more experienced woman, called it, and now I am twenty dollars richer.”

“Griffin, Woods, Long, principal's office,” an exasperated sounding Nyko interrupted Raven's celebration. “Girls, you go ahead. I'll take Mr. Long here to the nurse's office while you see Principle Jaha.”

 

* * *

 

“Can you two not go a week anymore without coming to see me?” Jaha asked the pair, frustrated. “Now, not only has Lexa here punched a classmate and broken his nose, I have also heard from Mr. Wallace about a vulgar drawing defacing his desk that he insists you two are responsible for.”

“I don't know about any 'vulgar drawing', Sir,” Clarke denied, eyes wide in innocence, “but I can tell you that I was the one that punched Quint. Not Lexa.”

Lexa stared at her. “What are you talking about? I hit Quint. Have the evidence to prove it, too.” She held up her bruised knuckles.

“That's just from her taking a fall yesterday,” Clarke lied to Jaha. “She's really clumsy.”

“Says the art student to the soccer player,” Lexa muttered.

Jaha looked back and forth between the two of them, looking utterly bemused. “And does your hand bear any evidence of violence, Miss Griffin?” he asked dryly.

“I – I have really tough skin,” Clarke said. Lexa scoffed.

Jaha shook his head. “Since you two can't seem to come to an agreement, would it make you feel better if I gave you both an afternoon of detention for attacking a fellow student?” he asked, sarcasm evident.

Lexa and Clarke looked at each other before nodding together. “Yeah, we'd prefer that,” Lexa told him.

“Consider it done. As for Raven Reyes – who we are all aware is the only one smart enough in this school to mess with the wiring and not electrocute herself – and Octavia Blake –” 

“They were with us the whole time, Sir.”

“Yeah, never left our sight,” Lexa put in.

Jaha eyed them. “And you two with your recent excellent standing at this school, I'm sure you're telling the truth.”

“We would never lie to a teacher, Sir.”

“I am aware. Report to Nyko tomorrow afternoon for your detentions. Don't let me see you both in here for at least a month. Please, girls?”

“Sir, what about Quint? He harassed me, verbally and physically. He shouldn't be allowed to get away with that,” Clarke said firmly.

Jaha sighed. “He won't be. I'm speaking with him next. He will be serving a three day suspension and receiving a verbal warning on his transcript. Another, and he will be expelled.”

Clarke nodded, satisfied. “Thank you, Sir.”

Jaha's eyes softened. “You know me, Clarke. Just because I am your principal does not mean I am your enemy. I am here to make sure all of my students are safe.”

“Of course.”

“Miss Woods, see that your hand gets checked. It looks like you didn't take care of it after your – _fall_ , yesterday.”

“I'll have my mom take a look at it,” Clarke assured him.

“Does Abby know?” Jaha asked.

Clarke understood. “Yeah, she does. She's not happy, but she knows.”

Clarke left, and Lexa made to follow, but Jaha called her back. “Yes?” she asked politely.

“Thank you,” Jaha said sincerely. “For protecting her, even though she doesn't need it. You're a good girl, Lexa. Abby should be proud her daughter found someone with as good a heart as you.”

Lexa gave an embarrassed shrug. “At this point, attack her, and it's the same as attacking me,” she admitted hesitantly.

“Lex, you coming?” Clarke poked her head back into the office. 

“On my way,” Lexa said. “Thank you, Sir,” she told Jaha before following her girlfriend out. 

 

* * *

 

“You broke your middle knuckle. You'll need a brace to keep it immobilized. I should probably take you to get it X-rayed, but we'll see how it heals for now on its own. There's not much you can do for a fractured hand anyways,” Abby said professionally, examining Lexa's hand. “Clarke, will you go put some ice in a bag please?”

Clarke checked Lexa, who nodded with a smile, fine with being left alone with Abby. Clarke left for the kitchen.

“I think we got off on the wrong foot,” Abby said quietly. “I was surprised, and I handled it poorly. I apologize for that.”

“It's okay,” Lexa replied, stiff. “We probably could have been a little more up front about the whole thing, but Clarke was worried about your reaction.”

“And I did nothing to encourage her,” Abby sighed.

“You don't ever have to accept me, as long as you accept Clarke,” Lexa said firmly.

“That would never have been an issue,” Abby told her. “I thought you were irresponsible, would get my daughter into trouble. And while that is true, you have also defended Clarke. You stood up to Cage Wallace, to Thelonious, to that Quint boy, and even to me. And it wouldn't be right for me to continue to judge you for one incident when I have so much evidence of your compassion and loyalty. I would like to start again, if that's alright with you, Lexa,” she requested.

Lexa thought about it for a second before sticking out her uninjured left hand. Abby chuckled and took it with her own left. “It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Griffin,” Lexa said formally. “My name's Lexa and I'm your daughter's girlfriend.”

“It is wonderful to meet you too, Lexa,” Abby replied. “Now, do your parents know where you are?”

Lexa nodded. “Yeah, I texted my mom.”

“Well, tell her that I invited you to stay for dinner with me and Clarke. And also,” Abby continued as she began organizing her first aid supplies, “you may stay the night, as long as you and Clarke don't get up to anything. You are welcome here Lexa, but there will still be rules,” she warned.

Lexa grinned. “I'd expect nothing less, Mrs. Griffin,” she said cheekily.

 

* * *

 

“How much did you hear?” Lexa asked Clarke later that night when they were curled up together in Clarke's bed.

“Most of it,” Clarke whispered. “Thank you.” She turned around so she could face Lexa, running a hand through her curls. “For letting her apologize. For trying again. It means the world to me.”

“How much?” Lexa asked slyly, sneaking her hand across Clarke's stomach.

“Nooo. No,” Clarke reprimanded, moving Lexa's hand. “My mom literally _just_ said you could stay, and you want to break the rules on the first night?”

“What if we were really quiet?” Lexa asked, pouting.

“Don't give me that look. Not happening,” Clarke told her.

Lexa sighed, disappointed, and dropped her head to Clarke's chest. “You're no fun.”

“Hey.” Clarke nudged Lexa. “No sex doesn't mean no serious making out.”

“I like your brain, Clarke Griffin.”

“And I like your face, Lexa Woods.”


	6. Everybody Wants to Rule the World

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lexa threatens violence once again, Raven is a little shit once again, and a serious question gets a serious answer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As promised, the last chapter. Fluffy and hopefully sweet and funny.

\- Four Years Later -

Lexa and Clarke were out at a local bar celebrating them both having graduated from the University of Maryland that morning. Lexa was slightly more inebriated than Clarke, who was able to hold her alcohol better, much to Lexa's chagrin.

“Where are the others?” Lexa asked Clarke, trying to keep her voice from slurring. She was pretty sure she managed it.

“Raven and O went off for more drinks. Said something about body shots. Lincoln and Kyle were trying to prove who was, I quote, 'manlier' over a game of pool. I think they're a bit drunker than their girlfriends. Also, Lincoln's thrashing Kyle, from what I can tell. Anya disappeared somewhere earlier with a guy _and_ a girl. God knows what she's up to right now,” Clarke answered, eyes bright from the alcohol. “Want another before we go?” she asked.

Lexa nodded, grabbing Clarke when she moved to stand and pulling her into a sloppy kiss. Clarke smiled into it, fixing Lexa's aim so she could kiss her properly. “Maybe just one for me,” she suggested.

“That might be an advisable idea,” Lexa admitted.

Clarke giggled. “You're so formal when you're drunk.”

Lexa lifted her chin in superiority. “One's drunkeness does not excuse improper grammar and syntax,” she said as haughtily as she could manage without tipping over.

“That would be a great reason, oh girlfriend of mine, if you spoke anywhere near that stiffly when you were sober. Since you don't, it means you're just an ass when you're drunk,” Clarke informed her.

“I have an ass. I am not an ass. I am a _homo sapien_ ,” Lexa said indignantly.

“You're a homo something, that's for sure,” Clarke grinned, leaning in for another kiss that Lexa grunted in annoyance before, but returned enthusiastically when Clarke gave it to her. “I'll be right back. Don't move.” Lexa nodded agreeably, satisfied by the kiss.

While she waited for Clarke to return, Lexa hazily thought about their last four years together, idly turning over the box in her pocket. Their small group, which had grown from the pair of them to include Octavia and Raven, then their boyfriends, Lincoln and Kyle, and eventually a reluctant Anya, had mostly separated after high school. Lexa and Clarke went to Maryland, Anya had gone all the way across country to school in California, Raven had been at MIT and Octavia and the boys had stayed in New York. 

Lexa, after some indecision, had settled into a political science and ecology double major, and had just been accepted into law school where she would focus on environmental law. And Clarke, after realizing that she didn't want what she loved to become a job where she had deadlines and had to turn out pieces on schedule, had started looking into art therapy for children. She was going into a graduate program so she could do just that, a compromise she loved and her mother also was happy with. She still painted and drew constantly, with Lexa as her main subject, but it would remain the hobby she adored.

Wanting to take things slow, they'd lived in separate dorms their freshman year of college, luckily with two very accommodating room mates who were okay with having either no room mates or two room mates all year, as Clarke and Lexa were rarely apart. Their sophomore year on, the pair had shared an apartment. Lexa smiled at the memory of Clarke's face when she'd told the blonde she could have the second bedroom as a studio. 

They were in the midst of packing to move back to New York, where they had leased a new apartment situated between their two schools. Lexa would miss the small place where she and Clarke had first lived together, but they were both excited to be going back to the city and having a bigger place for themselves.

Lexa fingered the ring box in her coat pocket some more, keeping an eye on Clarke at the bar, waiting for her drink. Neither of them were big on romantic gestures, but Lexa wanted to at least get this one right. They'd had fights, including one awful stretch of two weeks where they'd fought over something Lexa couldn't even remember now, it was so trivial. It had ended with Clarke staying at Raven's in Massachusetts and not speaking to her for those entire two weeks. Raven had texted Lexa to let her know Clarke had made it safe, but otherwise it had been utter silence for fourteen days. Octavia called Lexa every night just to make sure she was eating and sleeping. Lexa had been a mess by the end of it, and Clarke hadn't been any better when she'd returned. Things had been off balance for a while, even after they discussed things and apologized and forgave each other, but eventually they had gotten back to normal. While they had other fights, they silently agreed to never let one get that bad again.

Lexa was about to pull out the box and just leave it for Clarke to see when she got back to their table, but froze when she saw a man approach the blonde. He started a conversation, and Clarke listened with the smile Lexa knew was her polite but uninterested one. Lexa watched her try to break off the conversation, itching to intervene. She'd learned – after Quint Long – to let Clarke fight her own battles, since she was more than capable, but Lexa couldn't help the urge to protect her. 

The suave looking man laid a hand on Clarke's forearm, and Lexa immediately stood, hand falling to the flip knife she carried for self defense and gripping it tightly, but Clarke carefully removed her arm, backing up with her drink in hand as she let him down easy. Lexa remained standing, waiting tensely for Clarke to return, practically vibrating in her anxiety to keep the man from touching her girlfriend again.

“Hey!” Clarke greeted her brightly. “What are you doing up?”

“Are you alright?” Lexa asked tersely.

“Yeah, of course I am. Why?” Clarke looked up at her, confused.

Lexa jerked her head at the man that was still sitting at the bar, glancing at Clarke every once in a while. “He touched you.”

“Who, him?” Clarke asked, surprised. “I told him I was with my girlfriend, he made some dumbass comment about three being an interesting number. Whoa, whoa, whoa! Where're _you_ going?” She grabbed Lexa's arm, pulling her back to stand next to her when the brunette tried to stalk to the bar.

“He touched you,” Lexa snarled. “You are not his property.”

“It's fine, he didn't mean any harm,” Clarke soothed.

“He spoke to you impolitely.”

“He was just some drunk guy, I doubt he even knew what he was saying.”

“He tried to buy you a drink.”

“I said no, it's not like he tried to sleep with me.”

“He would have tried. He needs to learn what is polite.” Lexa gripped the handle of her knife in her pocket tighter.

“Where are you going?” Clarke looked down to see what Lexa was hanging onto. “No. No. No, we are not stabbing anyone,” she said hastily, hanging onto Lexa once more and pushing her toward the exit.

“He was impolite to you,” Lexa insisted, nevertheless allowing herself to be directed away from the bar.

“Protecting my 'honor' doesn't mean you can go knife him!” Clarke said, her eyes wide in earnest.

“...Yes it does.”

“You can't stab him,” Clarke told her.

“Yes I can.”

“No you can't.”

“...Fine,” Lexa agreed sullenly.

“Can we just go home now?” Clarke asked. “You need to sober up and I really need to have drunk sex with you.”

“...I would be...amenable.”

Clarke rolled her eyes. “Your vocabulary is so fucking weird when you're drunk. Come on, hero. Let's get a cab. Text Raven, tell her we went home.”

* * *

For once, Lexa woke up first the next morning. She sat up from where she was cuddled against Clarke's back, doing her best not to disturb Clarke. She crept from the bed, searching around the room for where her clothes had landed last night. She cursed quietly, not seeing her jacket anywhere. She vaguely remembered throwing it...where had she thrown it? The couch, she remembered. Lexa tiptoed out of the room and fetched the ring box out of her coat pocket, crawling back into bed.

“Clarke,” she murmured, kissing her girlfriend's cheek. “Clarke, time to wake up.”

The blonde groaned, burying her face in the pillow. “It's not fair that you're such a lightweight but don't get hangovers,” was her muffled grumble.

“I know you didn't drink that much last night so your headache shouldn't be that bad,” Lexa told her with a smile. “But there's a bottle of Advil on your table that I left for you before we went. Hurry up. We need to talk,” she said in the serious tone she knew would get Clarke moving.

Sure enough, Clarke turned with wide eyes. “What's the matter?” she asked, worried.

Lexa tried to contain her laughter but was unsuccessful. “God, you're so gullible,” she chuckled after Clarke groaned again and hit her with a pillow. “Nothing's wrong, I swear. But we do need to talk. So take your pills and join society again.” Clarke eyed her suspiciously and swallowed two pills.

“Okay. What's up?”

“Sweetheart –”

Clarke interrupted. “Things never go well when you start with that.”

Lexa raised her eyebrows. “What should I say then? Dear, love of mine, evil henchman, minion of darkness?”

“You were calling me god last night but Clarke will do.”

“We're getting off the subject,” Lexa said dryly. “Clarke, I wanted to ask you something. Or tell you something. And I have been trying to figure out how for months, but I really don't know how you're going to react so I'm just going to throw it out there.”

“Oh, my god. You're breaking up with me?” Clarke asked in a hurt tone, sitting up to back away from Lexa.

“What? No! Oh, my god, no,” Lexa responded instantly. “What the hell gave you that idea? Why would I break up with you, I love you!”

Clarke heaved out a relieved sigh. “You asshole!” she yelled, face smoothing into a smile. “Stop being so serious all the time. Especially in the morning. I can't tell what you're thinking in the morning when I'm hungover.”

Lexa shook her head, letting it fall against Clarke's. Clarke kissed her cheek, taking a few deep breaths to calm down. “What I wanted to tell you, Clarke,” Lexa finally whispered, “is that I never want to break up with you.” She held up the ring box, opening it to show her. Clarke gasped. “I know we talked about the ridiculousness of gender roles and which person would do the theoretical proposing and it's stupid,” Lexa began nervously. “And I know that we're both on the fence about the whole marriage thing anyway. I'm not asking you to marry me. Unless you want to get married, in which case, hell yes, let's get married,” she rushed to clarify. “What I wanted to ask you with this ring is for you to be mine, Clarke. To be my girlfriend, my fiancee, my wife, whatever you want. Just as long as it's forever.”

Clarke was silent for a long time, staring between Lexa and the ring she was holding, her mouth hanging open in shock. “You romantic little shit,” she finally whispered just as Lexa started to get nervous. “Are you actually worried I'm going to say no to you right now?”

Lexa relaxed. “Well, you haven't exactly said yes yet,” she hinted.

“Duh, it's a yes!” Clarke flung herself at Lexa, kissing her fiercely. Lexa let herself fall backwards, Clarke on top of her. “Hell yes,” she murmured over Lexa's lips.

Lexa was just starting to pull Clarke's t-shirt up over her head when her cellphone began ringing, interrupting the moment. Clarke groaned, letting her face fall to Lexa's chest for a moment before pushing herself up. “Answer it,” she told Lexa. “I'll get us some breakfast. It's probably one of the others. Did you even text them like I told you to when we were leaving?”

“I think so,” Lexa tried to remember. “No idea what I wrote though.”

Clarke found the phone and tossed it at Lexa. “It's Raven. Have fun with that one.”

Lexa rolled her eyes and answered the call. “Raven?”

“Lex, what is with this text from last night? 'Went home to have drunk sex and propose to Clarke'? Are you serious?”

“About which part?”

“Either. Both. Take your pick. If the first, please explain in detail. If the second, please also explain in detail. If both, I really want to hear about the sex first. Is it amazing? I'll bet it's amazing. Clarke never tells me, but I bet I can get you to. Which of you is on top? It's Clarke, isn't it? You're a total puppy around her, there's no way you're in control of the sex. Did you actually propose to her? Did you propose to her _while_ you were having sex?” Raven barely took a breath, she was talking so quickly.

“RAVEN!” Lexa finally yelled when she'd had enough. “I will _pay_ you to stop talking!”

Raven shut up.

Lexa calmed herself. “Clarke and I were in the middle of something, and I will call you back, Raven,” she said politely.

Raven laughed gleefully. “You were totally having post-proposal celebratory sex and I interrupted it. Weren't you, you smooth fucker? Oh, this is brilliant. I gotta go tell O. She owes me another twenty bucks. That child will never learn. Have fun kid! Don't do anything I wouldn't do!”

“There isn't anything you wouldn't –” Raven was gone.

Lexa rolled her eyes and went out to the kitchen to find Clarke. “What did Raven want?” she asked from where she was looking in the fridge.

“Nothing important,” Lexa answered, coming up behind the blonde. “But we were doing something else that I really want to get back to.”

Clarke turned with a smile, letting the fridge swing shut. “I like the way you think, Miss Woods. Or is it Mrs. Griffin?”

“I think we can agree that even if we get married, we're keeping our own last names,” Lexa replied.

Clarke nodded. “True. I fell in love with Lexa Woods.”

“And I fell in love with Clarke Griffin.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for going on this journey with me! This has been a whirlwind few days of writing for me and I have loved every second of it.


End file.
